Wallal Carbon Farming Project 1

Wallal Carbon Farming Project 1 is a Native Forest from Managed Regrowth project located on the 'Wallal' pastoral property, situated approximately 22km south-southeast of Charleville along the Mitchell Highway in South West Queensland. Registered in December 2014, the project covers 2,284.12 hectares of the broader 17,637-hectare freehold station. The Charleville region is predominantly used for sheep and beef cattle grazing, taking advantage of the expansive native pastures and semi-open river country.

Native Forest from Managed Regrowth projects focus on restoring native vegetation on land that has been subject to at least one comprehensive clearing for pastoral use. Standard requirements for this methodology involve the cessation of mechanical or chemical destruction, or suppression, of regrowth. By stopping these clearing practices, the project allows native vegetation to establish permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources (including rootstock and lignotubers) to eventually achieve a mature forest cover (defined under the methodology as at least 20% canopy cover and 2 metres in height).

The project area is situated in a semi-arid climate typical of the Murweh Shire, which experiences highly variable, lower rainfall (typically 400-500mm annually). The local environment is characterised by a mix of semi-open river country along the Warrego River catchments featuring alluvial cracking clay soils, transitioning into 'soft red mulga country' which is dominated by sandy red earth soils.

An interesting note about this specific project is its successful history with the Emissions Reduction Fund. Contracted in November 2015, the project successfully fulfilled its Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC102435) by December 2019, successfully delivering its fixed obligation of 39,200 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to the Commonwealth. The underlying 'Wallal' property was recently sold, with the real estate marketing prominently highlighting its active carbon credit revenue stream alongside its extensive artesian bore water infrastructure. This highlights the growing commercial integration of carbon farming and biodiversity projects within traditional Australian agricultural enterprises.